
Tamara J. answered 11/19/12
Math Tutoring - Algebra and Calculus (all levels)
Here you are looking to solve for the unknown variable, y. To do so, you want to isolate this variable to one side of the equation in a way in which the equation will be in the form of " y = " .
Notice that the left hand side of the equation is in the form of a fraction. Since you are dividing y by 4, you are essentially multiplying y by 1/4. That is, y/4 = 2 ==> (1/4)y = 2
So, to solve for y, multiply both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of 1/4, which is 4/1 (or, 4). This will isolate the y, thus solving for it.
(1/4)y = 2
(4) * (1/4)y = 2 * (4)
(4/4)y = 2*4
y = 8